Syndicate: Shortcut Europe, Culture and Conflict, Weimar 99/09

[Andreas Broeckmann <abroeck@v2.nl>]

from: http://www.Soziokultur.de/shortcut

1999   Shortcut Europe    Culture and Conflict

              European Conference
              from 9th to 12th September, 1999
              at mon ami Cultural Center
              Weimar


Weimar is the European City of Culture in 1999. This provides
an opportunity to take up and develop an initiative which first
came to life in 1996 as part of Copenhagen's European City of
Culture program: Shortcut Europe.

The aim of Shortcut Europe 1999 is to make visible and promote
dialogue among those cultural projects and initiatives which
across Europe are mainly based in Cultural Houses,
Socio-Cultural Centers, Social Action Centers, Community
Centers, Maisons de la Culture and other similar institutions.
Since the 1970s these houses and centers have developed a
specific working approach which makes social issues a priority
and attempts to link artistic production and reception with
everyday experience and environments. Despite many
differences, they all share the belief that culture also includes
the way in which we communicate with our fellow citizens, how
we cooperate and how we deal with conflicts.

By focusing on ?Culture and Conflict" we have decided to pick
up on a theme which also received a great deal of attention in
the previous Shortcut program in Copenhagen: the relationship
between culture and democracy. In Weimar we will above all
address the requirements and goals of the kind of culture and
cultural work which is dedicated to democratic principles and
which contributes not only to overcoming prejudice,
discrimination and conflicts but also to developing tolerance,
creativity and curiosity.

Shortcut Europe 1999 will combine specialist contributions and
discussion with the presentation of useful practical models in
order to identify what experiences have been gathered in
dealing with social conflict in socio-cultural institutions. The
possibilities of cultural intervention will be investigated along a
variety of lines of conflict such as changes in social and
working life, growing racism, and the emergence of new youth
cultures. With this goal in mind, ?best practice" projects will be
presented - projects that are already successfully working at
social flash points and can therefore point the way to a culture
of conflict. New and innovative working models developed in
many European countries often go ignored because too little
attention is drawn to them. The Shortcut conference will enable
us to learn more from each other and thus help to pave the way
for future cultural cooperation in Europe.

Shortcut Europe 1999 is directed at:


       Men and women who work in Cultural Houses, Socio-Cultural Centers,
       Social Action Centers, Community Centers, Maisons de la Culture and
       other similar projects

       Representatives of politics, administration, culture, social and youth
       affairs, education and urban development

       Press and media

       Organisations and institutions involved in European and international
       cultural exchange

       Representatives of science and research


Organisers:
              Fonds Soziokultur
              in cooperation with
              Bundesvereinigung sozio-kultureller Zentren
              Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft
              Landesarbeitsgemeinschaft Soziokultureller
              Zentren Thüringen

              Under the auspices of the Secretary
              General of the Council of Europe


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